Panic in north coastal Andhra Pradesh following tremor

A strong tremor shook the north coastal region of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday night, causing panic among the people in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts. No casualties were reported so far. 

According to reports, people in the north coastal towns and villages on the coast felt a strong tremor measuring 4 on the Richter scale around 9.26 pm on Sunday.

The panic-stricken people came out into the open in many places. Some people in the coastal villages were apprehensive about the tsunami waves hitting the coast.

• Strong quake hits Nicobar island

However, the Cyclone Warning Centre at Visakhapatnam was still collating data on the tremor from the Indian Meteorological Department.

There were no immediate reports of damage to properties even as district and local officials swung into action to assure people that there was no cause for alarm. 

Official sources said that the strong tremor was caused by an aftershock following the earthquake in the Bay of Bengal off Andaman islands. The quake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, shook Nicobar island around 9 pm.